Mandelmusslor Almond Cream Tartlets With Berry Sauce Recipes

BERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Using a 4-in. round cookie cutter, cut 12 circles, rerolling scraps as necessary. Press circles onto bottoms and up sides of ungreased muffin cups., Mix sugar and cornstarch; toss with berries and lemon juice. Spoon 2 tablespoons filling into each cup. Bake on a lower oven rack until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 24-26 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack; cool completely., For topping, beat cream until soft peaks form. In another bowl, mix lemon curd, sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon whipped cream; fold in remaining whipped cream. Spoon over filling. If desired, top with fresh berries. Refrigerate until serving.

ALMOND BUTTER SHORTBREAD COOKIES "MANDELMUSSLOR"

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Grind the almonds in a food processor until very fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and pour over half of the almond extract. Stir to combine.
• Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, until light, fluffy and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg just until incorporated. Mix in the flour, ground almonds and the remaining almond extract on low speed. The dough should be quite stiff.
• Press the dough into shortbread molds, filling two-thirds full. Bake, in batches if needed, until golden brown and set, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, and then gently remove from the molds.

VERY BERRY CROISSANTS

Steps:

• For the almond cream: Add the butter, almond paste, rum, flour, almond extract and egg to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
• For the streusel: Add the butter, flour, oats, turbinado sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the ingredients become a coarse crumb and set aside.
• To build: Cut each croissant in half lengthwise and place cut-side up on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush the cut sides of the croissants with the simple syrup, about 1 teaspoon per half. Equally distribute the almond cream on the croissants followed by the blueberries, and sprinkle the streusel over the top.
• Freeze, uncovered, until totally set, at least 2 hours.
• Remove from the freezer and wrap individually in plastic wrap (to keep the toppings on), then place in large plastic bags.
• To serve: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take the croissants out of the plastic bags, remove the plastic wrap, place on a baking sheet and bake until the almond cream has set and the streusel is golden, 15 to 17 minutes.
• Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with the powdered sugar and serve hot or at room temperature.
• Pour 1 cup water into a saucepan and add the granulated sugar. Stir and place the saucepan over medium heat.
• By the time the edges start to simmer, the sugar should have dissolved and the liquid should be completely clear, not cloudy. Immediately remove from the heat and cool completely.
• Store the simple syrup in an airtight container, in the fridge, until ready to use. Simple syrup stays fresh up to 4 weeks.

BERRY ALMOND TARTLETS WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• For the almond pastry, put the flour, ground almonds, sugar and 1⁄4 tsp salt into a food processor and work for 5 seconds until mixed. Add the butter and pulse for about 10 seconds until the mixture forms fine crumbs. Tip into a bowl, add the egg yolks and almond extract and mix with a knife to make coarse crumbs (don't do this in the machine or you'll overwork it and make the pastry tough). Turn out on to the work surface and knead briefly by hand to a smooth, pliable ball. If it's too sticky, work in a little more flour. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes until firm.
• Brush six 9cm loose-bottomed tartlet tins with melted butter. Divide the ball of dough in half and work with one piece at a time. Roll it out on non-stick baking parchment until 3mm thick. Cut out three 13cm rounds using a plain pastry cutter or a small upturned saucer as a template. Ease each disc of pastry into the tins and press them on to the base and sides so the edges of the pastry come slightly above the top edge of the tins. Prick the bases with a fork so they do not puff up in the oven and set them on a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the pastry. Chill for at least 15 minutes until firm. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6.
• Line the tartlets with small squares of buttered foil, pressing them well against the sides to hold up the dough during baking. Bake for 7-8 minutes until the pastry starts to brown. Remove the foil and continue baking for a further 3-4 minutes until they are golden brown. Let them cool in the tins, then turn them out to be sure they are loose. Replace them in the tins for support before adding the filling.
• For the ganache, break the chocolate into a bowl. Bring the cream just to the boil, pour on to the chocolate and leave for 2-3 minutes, then stir until smooth. Chill without stirring for 8-12 minutes until the ganache is cool but still soft enough to pour, then pour a shallow layer into each tartlet to cover the base. Chill until set, then unmould the tartlets and let them come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. (They can be kept covered, at room temperature, for up to 6 hours.)
• To finish, warm the redcurrant jelly with 1 tbsp water and stir until smooth. Pick over the raspberries and pile them casually on top of the ganache. Spoon over a little of the warm glaze and decorate each tartlet with a tiny sprig of mint.

FRESH BERRY & ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry sheets. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut each with a floured 3-in. cookie cutter to make eight circles or other shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets; prick holes in pastries with a fork., Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and almond extract until blended. Spread over cooled pastries. Top with berries, pressing lightly to adhere. Sprinkle with almonds and, if desired, confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.